Pain is a part of life. Sometimes it’s a big part, and sometimes it isn’t, but either way, it’s a part of the big puzzle, the deep music, the great game. Pain does two things: It teaches you, tells you that you’re alive. Then it passes away and leaves you changed. It leaves you wiser, sometimes. Sometimes it leaves you stronger. Either way, pain leaves its mark, and everything important that will ever happen to you in life is going to involve it in one degree or another.
~Jim Butcher
Month: July 2021
Living In Gratitude: Seeing Something Good in Everything
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. – Epictetus
In a life full of chaos living in perpetual gratitude can be difficult but life can humble the noblest soul, it can strip us of our pride and has a way of bringing us to our knees, forcing us to be grateful for what we have instead of worrying over what we don’t have.
Five months ago, we didn’t know where we would be. No one wants a Cancer diagnosis and it was the last thing any of us expected when my husband went in for his medical review that had been postponed due to Covid. In the midst of all the uncertainties, months of gruelling Chemo, and now what surgeons called a complicated surgery, gratitude has never been more prevalent in my life as it is right now, for the first time in a very, very long time, perpetual gratitude seems to be within reach. They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. In this instance, when life tossed me lemons, I tossed them right back, with a few complementary choice words.
Today’s Inspiration
Today’s Inspiration
Today’s Inspiration
Today’s Inspiration
Today’s Inspiration
Blueprint of A Predator
You’re going to meet many people with domineering personalities: the loud, the obnoxious, those that noisily stake their claims in your territory and everywhere else they set foot on. This is the blueprint of a predator. Predators prey on gentleness, peace, calmness, sweetness and any positivity that they sniff out as weakness. Anything that is happy and at peace they mistake for weakness. It’s not your job to change these people, but it’s your job to show them that your peace and gentleness do not equate to weakness. There are many people who will want to befriend you if you fit the description of what they think is weak; predators want to have friends that they can dominate over because that makes them feel strong and important. The truth is that predators have no strength and no courage. It is you who are strong, and it is you who has courage.
~ C. JoyBell C.
In Life There’s Always A Left Wing and A Right Wing
For everything in this journey of life we are on, there is a right wing and a left wing: for the wing of love there is anger; for the wing of destiny there is fear; for the wing of pain there is healing; for the wing of hurt there is forgiveness; for the wing of pride there is humility; for the wing of giving there is taking; for the wing of tears there is joy; for the wing of rejection there is acceptance; for the wing of judgment there is grace; for the wing of honnor there is shame; for the wing of letting go there is the wing of keeping. We can only fly with two wings and two wings can only stay in the air if there is a balance. Two beautiful wings is perfection. There is a generation of people who idealize perfection as the existence of only one of these wings every time. But I see that a bird with one wing is imperfect. An angel with one wing is imperfect. A butterfly with one wing is dead. So this generation of people strive to always cut off the other wing in the hopes of embodying their ideal of perfection, and in doing so, have created a crippled race.
― C. JoyBell C.
Building Resilience
The world is not interested in the difficulties you face. You must learn to pursue excellence and show remarkable resilience no matter the circumstances.”
~Germany Kent
How Resilient are you? We associate resilience with being able to consistently cope with hardships, pushing ourselves to the limit without a physical or emotional breakdown. In truth, resilience is the ability to recover quickly from hardships or stress. It’s not about pushing yourself and pushing yourself, it’s not about a test of strength. It’s about our ability to adjust and preserve ourselves while still having the emotional capacity to function, it’s not about stamina.
Resilience doesn’t ease the pressures of life’s difficulties, it allows us to understand the setbacks, make the necessary adjustments to deal with those setbacks, and reevaluate our next move. We build resilience through trial and error and by constantly evolving. Once you understand what works and what doesn’t work for you, it becomes easier to pick up the pieces when things fall apart. Resilient people create a coping mechanism that helps them deal with a crisis more effectively.
4 Ways you can build Resilience
1. Manage Stress Trigger- This can be difficult especially when the unexpected happens. Learning to manage stress will help you become more resilient, allowing you to mentally bounce back after going through difficult, sometimes, life-changing situations.
2. Take Action-learn to deal with your problems instead of waiting for them to magically disappear. Work on resolving issues before they escalate into something so overwhelming it sends you into a tailspin. Pause, Reflect, Take Action!
3. Challenge Yourself- A sharp mind leads to a resilient mind. Learn a new skill, remain focus on your goals. It’s not about how long you can stay in the race but rather how well you run your race. Life is about learning and you’re never too old to learn something new. We all have our own timelines, while someone may be finishing their race, yours may have just begun. Remember you don’t have to race to the finish line, make the necessary adjustments to achieve your goals, without sacrificing yourself in the process.
4. Self-Confidence- If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will!! The most important part of building resilience is self-confidence. How can you cope with what life throws at you if you don’t believe in your own ability to overcome? Self- Confidence is not about being boastful, it’s about being able to respond and deal with a crisis. For every positive thought, there are dozens of negative thoughts that overshadow those positive tones recognize the difference, replace the negative with the positive.
Pinned Message: You never know how strong you are, until being strong is all your only choice! Resilience is not something that’s built overnight, it takes time and effort. Life can sometimes be a struggle for all of us and sometimes our coping mechanism may take a while to kick in but don’t be discouraged if you find yourself struggling. I think this past year has made us all more resilient, you just have to stay in that zone of evolution.
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©Etta D. Richards
Simply Etta 